


something luminous

by empathieves



Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, F/F, Getting Together, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-01
Updated: 2019-05-01
Packaged: 2020-02-15 19:13:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,625
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18675772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/empathieves/pseuds/empathieves
Summary: Arkann meets a tabaxi at the library, and then meets her again at her nursery. She buys a succulent. They fall in love.





	something luminous

**Author's Note:**

> A fic of mine and Dev's characters from Curse of Strahd getting together under less stressful circumstances - find us on our OC twitters @tiefleaves and @OriginalCalcium.

Amity lives a quiet life. She wakes up at dawn, sits outside in the morning sun and sips her tea, blinks the sleep out of her eyes. She works at her nursery, tends to her plants and sells flowers and herbs to her customers, reads behind the counter when she has the time. It’s not much, and it’s a little lonely, but it’s home. She’d like some friends, but she’s a little scared of trying to find some. It’s been a long time since she’s talked to people who weren’t just passing through trying to find someone who sold basil. She’s not sure she remembers how.

 

Her birthday is next week, and she’s not sure how that happened. She’s turning 24, and as she sits at her little table and eats her tomato soup and toast she thinks about how maybe it’s time to make a change. The library, she thinks as she munches and tries to avoid crumbs getting into her fur. Maybe she could get a book on knitting. Or join a book club.

 

-

 

Arkann huffs, tapping her foot. Tulan has been in the stacks of the ancient magic section for the last hour, and while she doesn’t have to teach any classes until six she’s starting to get a little impatient. She checks her watch, sighs, and leaves him to it. She may as well look at the books while she’s here. Maybe she can find something on how to deal with your half brother showing up at your doorstep after having finally decided your shared dad is a dick. Probably not.

 

She’s wandering through the ‘lifestyle’ section, wondering if getting Tulan a book on how to grow a sense of humility is too on the nose, when she sees a very tall tabaxi browsing through the craft books. She hasn’t seen many tabaxi - they’re rare on this side of the continent. It’s interesting, seeing the same patterns she’s seen on house cats on a woman over 6 feet tall. She idly wonders how you’re supposed to groom all that fur.

 

The tabaxi looks up at her. Arkann realises she’s been staring.

 

“Sorry! I’m just not used to seeing cat people around here. Wait, is that the wrong term?”

 

The tabaxi smiles, inclines her head. 

 

“I’m not sure. I didn't grow up with other tabaxi. I like cats though, so cat person is fine.”

 

“Arkann, you won’t believe what I found filed under Restoration magic, honestly who shelves the books in this place - oh. You’ve found a friend.”

 

Arkann finds she cannot resist the urge to roll her eyes.

 

“Yes, and I assume you are still on the search for some.”

 

She turns to scold Tulan for his rudeness, and when she turns back the tabaxi is gone. A shame - she would have liked to talk to her more.

 

-

 

Amity learns to knit, even though it’s a little difficult at first with her paws, and eventually it’s time to return her borrowed books. She’s a little hopeful that the woman she spoke to last time will be there - she had gotten anxious the last time, but she had been nice. And pretty too, Amity thinks, but even thinking that thought makes her a little flustered.

 

The pretty woman ends up not being there, and Amity tries not to feel too disappointed. She goes back home, keeps tending to her plants. It’s special orders day tomorrow so she spends her evening making up sachets of tea. It’s one of the things she does on the side for regular customers, and the process is always calming.

 

The next day, when Magnolia comes to pick up her tea, there’s a very familiar woman with her.

 

“Amity, this is my friend Arkann - Arkann, this is Amity. She’s who I get all of my tea and plants from.”

 

“Oh, um, we’ve actually already met,” Arkann says.

 

“At the library, yes.” Amity says, and she is so thankful that her fur means it’s impossible to tell she’s blushing. Her tail, the true indicator of her mood (currently swishing back and forth anxiously) is hidden behind the counter.

 

“So, Amity, what’s the easiest plant to take care of? I’d like to have a plant in my room.” Arkann says, and Magnolia gives her a funny look from where she’s wandered over near the herbs. Amity is a little puzzled too - she does own the nursery, but Magnolia has almost as many plants as she does. Nonetheless, she moves out from behind the counter and leads Arkann to the succulents, explaining how much light they need (little) and how much water they need (not much). Arkann looks less and less intimidated as she keeps speaking.

 

“What’s your favourite plant?” Arkann asks once they’re back at the counter, with Arkann holding her newly purchased succulent in her hands.

 

“Oh, that’s easy, lavender. I have trouble sleeping so I have a lot of it all around my house.”

 

“Would I be able to get your phone number? In case I have questions about the succulent.”

 

Over by the tropical plants now Magnolia has stopped looking confused and started looking knowing.

 

Amity writes her phone number on the back of one of her business cards and gives it to Arkann, and smiles as they leave. She can hear Magnolia start to say something as they walk down the path, but she can’t quite make it out.

 

-

 

“So you’re interested in plants now are you?”

 

“Magnolia…”

 

“You know you’re going to have to be pretty clear with Amity right? She’s not...well-versed in this stuff.”

 

Arkann frowns at that. 

 

“What do you mean?”

 

Magnolia frowns right back at her.

 

“She’s an orphan, Arkann. Like me, only I’ve made friends since moving here. I don’t think Amity has. And the only way I even know that about her is that I’ve been buying plants from her for years.”

 

“What else do you know about her?”

 

“She’s quiet, she lives alone out the back of the nursery, she loves animals. She reads a lot. She makes great tea. Honestly that’s all I know. Oh, and she’s never been in a relationship.”

 

“How do you know that?”

 

“I vent to her sometimes, when I pick up my tea. She’s a good listener, and she always wants to help, you know? And I was talking about how before this year I hadn’t ever been kissed and she said that she still hadn’t, and that she had never been with anyone. It was really nice to know that I wasn’t alone.”

 

“So...you’re saying she’s an innocent and kind person who is very lonely.”

 

“Yes. Exactly the kind of person you like.”

 

Magnolia smiles at her as they reach her car. Arkann resolves to text Amity when she gets home, maybe with a picture of the succulent in its spot. Should she name the succulent? That seems like the thing to do. 

 

> MMS

> From: Me

> To: Amity

 

His name is Keychains! Because he’s right next to where I put my keys. See?

<image attached>

 

-

 

Amity jumps about a foot in the air when her phone beeps at her. She’d just closed her book, and started getting ready to close up. She never gets notifications, except for when the pizza shop down the road has deals on. She swipes open the message immediately and can’t help the smile that spreads across her face when she sees the succulent she’d sold Arkann earlier in the day.

 

It’s sitting on a windowsill next to a bowl with a set of keys in it, right in the afternoon sun. She adds Arkann to her contacts before responding.

 

> Message

> From: Me

> To: Arkann

 

That looks like a perfect spot for him. :3

 

She sends the message before she can get too nervous, and then closes up the shop. 

 

Her phone beeps at her again as she’s walking down the pathway from the back of the nursery to her house, nestled in the woods a few hundred yards away. She resists the urge to check it immediately - she needs to unlock her house first, and put on the kettle. She gets inside, makes her tea, sits down to read the message. She feels a little fluttery, like she’s standing on a high ledge.

 

>Message

>From: Arkann

>To: Me

 

I thought you might like to see him in his new home. You seem to care a lot about plants.

 

She taps her foot against the chair leg, thinking of how to respond.

  
  
  
  


>Message

>From: Me

>To: Arkann

 

Well, they have feelings too. But I think Keychains will be very happy with you. :3

 

Amity hasn’t really used emojis before, but the 3 looks more like her mouth than a bracket does. She sets her phone down, then starts to make dinner. She hopes Arkann messages her back. It’s nice to talk to someone. 

 

-

 

It takes two weeks of them messaging back and forth for Arkann to invite Amity over, ostensibly to see how Keychains is doing (actually quite well, Arkann is shocked she hasn’t killed it yet). She schedules it on a day she’s not teaching, for after Amity has closed up shop - but unfortunately that means Tulan is home. He’s being surprisingly quiet actually, watching from his reading chair while Arkann attempts to cook, gives up on cooking, and then decides to order takeout. 

 

“You really like her, don’t you?” he says, and for once his tone is void of sarcasm. She’s a little weirded out by it if she’s being honest. She gets the creeping feeling that maybe under all that smugness there’s an actual person, with feelings. She opens her mouth to answer him when there’s a knock on the door. She snaps her mouth shut and swears, before fixing her hair a little and rushing over to answer the door.

 

“Hi Arkann!” Amity says, and it looks like for a second the tabaxi is confused about whether to give Arkann a hug or shake her hand. Arkann thinks, very clearly, o _ h she’d be really soft _ and goes in for the hug. Who cares, you don’t get many chances to hug a cat person. She can hear Tulan snickering behind her. Amity makes a snuffling noise. 

 

She is exactly as soft as Arkann thought she would be. 

 

When she pulls back Amity is a little teary. She flaps her paw at Arkann, seemingly embarrassed. 

 

“Don’t mind me, it’s just been a while since I’ve had a hug.”

 

Arkann is in danger of giving her a kiss on the cheek too, but manages to hold herself back.

 

Amity pads into the room very quietly and Arkann realises she’s not wearing shoes. She wonders if they even make shoes for tabaxi.

 

“Oh! Are you Arkann’s brother? My name is Amity, it’s nice to meet you,” Amity says to Tulan while Arkann is standing there dawdling by the door. She shuts the door and holds her breath, hoping Tulan isn’t going to be. Well. Himself.

 

“I am, actually. Tulan,” he says, getting up from his chair and shaking Amity’s hand. “It’s good to meet you, Arkann has told me so much about you.”

 

Arkann sees him wearing a genuine smile and is, for a moment, stunned. 

 

They order in Chinese food and it’s not  _ quite  _ a date because Tulan is there, but he seems to be on his best behaviour because he doesn’t say anything rude until later in the night, and even then it’s downright polite by his standards.

 

“Arkann is terrible at chess, I keep asking her to play against me and she barely understands the rules.”

 

“Oh, I know the rules! I’ve never played though.” Amity says, smiling. Smiling seems to be what Amity does the most of. She’s almost unbearably friendly. She’s getting along with  _ Tulan _ , for God’s sake.

 

So Arkann sits and watches Amity play chess against Tulan, and when Amity wins she grins a little when Tulan huffs and says it’s beginner’s luck. Then Amity wins again. And again.

 

“How are you so good at this?” he says after the fourth match, looking down at his fallen king.

 

“Would you like me to show you what I’m doing? Here, let me show you.” Amity says, seemingly not bothered at all by how Tulan has been getting increasingly frustrated. She talks him through her strategies, patiently correcting him when he gets something wrong.

 

Arkann feels very warm and a little giddy, and she knows she’s utterly fucked.

 

-

 

After a few hours in the living room with Tulan, Arkann seems to remember that she wanted to show Amity the succulent that she’s been keeping alive. Of course, Arkann has been sending pictures of it regularly, but Amity’s just happy for any reason to be invited to someone’s home. It doesn’t hurt that Arkann is devastatingly pretty and Amity can’t stop looking at her. She feels very much like the small crush she has been nursing for the past few weeks has blossomed into something bigger, and she knows it’s probably much too soon for that. But. Arkann is kind to her, and she named her plant, and she keeps texting Amity even though Amity  _ knows _ she’s not very good at holding conversations yet. And she’s pretty. So, so pretty. Amity had always figured she liked women more than men, but this has definitely cemented it.

 

Arkann’s room is draped with purple everywhere, with silver stars hanging down the ceiling and soft light coming from a lamp on the bedside table. It’s messy, but not stiflingly so, and it’s so full of personality Amity has to smile. On the windowsill near the bed is Keychains, now in a bigger and more decorated pot - she can see little leaves and a smiley face that appear to have been painted on.

 

“Oh, Magnolia decorated the pot. So did Grey, so you might not want to turn the pot around.”

 

Curious, she does. There’s a dick painted on the other side. She snorts.

 

“I think you’d like Grey, actually. And Xien. Ezmerelda is travelling in Spain right now but she’ll be back in a month. And you already know Magnolia. We should have a sleepover or something.”

 

Amity’s smile gets so big it actually hurts her face a little. She can feel herself tearing up again, and she goes to hug Arkann - partly because she really wants to, and partly to hide her face. Arkann leans into the hug, and Amity feels very tall.

 

She comes out of the hug. “Maybe we could have the sleepover at my house?” 

 

Arkann smiles at her.

 

“That sounds wonderful.”

 

-

 

Amity looks so happy, standing there next to Arkann’s bed and talking about sleepovers, that Arkann can’t actually help herself - she kisses her.

 

It’s different. It’s not bad, not at all, but she can tell that this is Amity’s first kiss and it’s strange for her to be kissing a tabaxi. But it’s good, and it feels right, and after a minute or two Amity figures out what’s happening and what she’s meant to do and her arms come up around Arkann.

 

The novelty of being hugged by someone who feels like they’re permanently wrapped in a fluffy blanket has not worn off  _ at all _ .

 

They spend the rest of the night on Arkann’s bed, and Arkann tells Amity about the constellations and the stories behind their names. Amity listens like it’s the most important thing in the world, and when it’s time for her to go - she does have to open her nursery in the morning - she kisses Arkann again, brief and sweet, and wishes her a good night's sleep.

 

Arkann watches her leave, a little breathless, and sure Tulan is laughing at her from his chair where he’s apparently been this  _ whole time _ but it’s worth it.

 


End file.
